


Killing Time

by violasarecool



Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: Banter, Gen, Sparring, sorry kyllinan i keep stealing your companions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-24
Updated: 2018-07-24
Packaged: 2019-06-15 19:39:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15420141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/violasarecool/pseuds/violasarecool
Summary: stuck waiting for kyllinan to return, jaesa and nairoim pass the time by sparring





	Killing Time

**Author's Note:**

> based on a 3 player group:
> 
> nairoim (they) - sith inquisitor (mine)  
> kyllinan (they) - sith warrior ([venndai's](http://venndaai.tumblr.com/))  
> shiisti (she) - bounty hunter ([howardhill101's](http://howardhill101.tumblr.com/))

"Any news?"

"Not yet."

They sat scattered across boxes and upended crates: Nairoim, Shiisti, their respective crews and most of Kyllinan's. Only Vette was missing, left not half an hour previously on a speeder with Kyllinan. Something to do with a Republic general, though Nairoim wasn't really paying attention. _Military_ _politics. Yawn._

Nairoim idly spun their saber around in their hand—not ignited, just the handle—their other hand propping up their chin. A few feet off, Malavai was reading something on a datapad— _i_ _s he doing_ work? _Even while stuck in a karking warehouse._ Nairoim tossed their saber to their other hand, gaze wandering;Khem, by contrast, was still standing, arms crossed, glaring at the entrance as if he could make Kyllinan reappear by force of gaze alone.

Jaesa stood up, and Nairoim glanced at her to find her watching them. "Want to use that?" she said, pulling her own lightsaber off her belt.

"What, you want to _spar?"_ Nairoim said dismissively, though they gave her a sweeping glance, her feet already planted like she was expecting an attack. From what they'd seen of her fighting so far, she wasn't half-bad. _Could be interesting..._ They shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "Fine."

Jaesa's mouth curled in a grin, and she lit her lightsaber, reaching over to turn down the power. "Wouldn't want to take your head off." 

("Hey, trash talk," Mako muttered to Shiisti, sitting up with interest.)

Nairoim stood up, igniting their own lightsaber before lowering the power as well. "You're awfully confident you're going to get in any hits at all," they said, beginning to circle towards her.

"I've had a good teacher."

"What, the Jedi, or Kyllinan?"

She twirled her lightsaber experimentally, bringing it down so it mirrored Nairoim's own double-ended blade. "The Jedi had their uses, but I was referring to my Master."

"Then I think I have the advantage here," Nairoim said, feinting to the left; Jaesa turned to block a blow that never fell, and Nairoim lashed out with a low sweep. To their surprise, she leapt neatly over the blade, rolling behind them to strike at their unexposed back. The lightsaber only glanced off, of course, due to the low setting, but there was a faint burning smell as Nairoim whirled around, lightsaber up now.

"Come on, kick her ass," Andronikos called.

Nairoim ignored him, attention fully on Jaesa now. "Tell me again how you think you have the advantage?" she teased, mouth quirking up in a narrow grin.

Nairoim's grip tightened on their saber, and they started forward, blades striking with a strident crack; one, two, parry, duck—Jaesa's legs tensed, her centre of gravity low, and for a moment, it was like Nairoim was facing Kyllinan themself. _Got you,_ Nairoim thought, and they stepped neatly out of the way as she leapt, bringing their lightsaber around to strike her in the shoulder.

Jaesa staggered back, caught off balance, and Nairoim landed another hit for good measure. (Shiisti let out a loud whooping noise.) "I was been fighting beside your _Master_ long before you arrived," Nairoim said, spinning their saber idly in one hand. "I know every move they've taught you."

"Fine," Jaesa said, adjusting her feet, "then I guess it's a good thing I've had more than one master." She brought her lightsaber forward, and they began again, blades barely touching as they swept around in wide arcs, searching for an opening. As they broke apart, breathing heavily, Jaesa shifted her grip to one hand, and shot Nairoim a grin. "Do they teach Sith the Niman form?"

"What?" Nairoim said, wrinkling their nose. "Never heard of it."

"I guess Sith aren't known for _Moderation."_ Nairoim gave her a perplexed look. "Because it's also called—nevermind," she sighed. "It's a form that uses a lot of—" she thrust out a hand—"force pushes!"

Nairoim skidded backward, feet scrabbling for purchase. "So it's, what," they said, righting themself as she came back at them, "a fancy word for _using the force while you fight?"_

Jaesa faltered mid-strike, and Nairoim seized on the opportunity to bat her saber away, making a second powerful sweep at her chest that she barely had time to block. "I think... there's more to it," she managed, face scrunched up in the effort of holding Nairoim's lightsaber back. Their sabers crackled, bright wisps of light sparking off where the blades ground against each other. "Master Karr didn't really focus on that form."

Nairoim snorted.

At some point during their fighting, Khem had wandered over; he now stood a few feet to the right, arms crossed as he watched. _"There is a lot of talking for what is supposedly a fight,"_ Khem said, unimpressed.

"It's a technique," Nairoim retorted. They made as if to twist their saber out of the lock, but instead gave a violent push bolstered by the Force that sent Jaesa flying past Khem. "See? It's working." Behind them, Malavai made a noise that sounded _mostly_ like a cough. "You're not the only one who can use the Force!" Nairoim called, as Jaesa climbed to her feet.

"Don't you usually use Force _lightning?"_ she said flatly.

"I assumed that was off the table. Why, do you _want_ me to shock you?" Nairoim asked, shooting her a dark grin.

"Not particularly."

"Pity."

They kept at it for another ten minutes or so before they tired of it; before long, saber strikes and force pushes turned into using the force to shoot pebbles at each other, fragments of rock ricocheting off their blades with a sizzling sound. This was how Kyllinan and Vette found them when they returned: sprawled across crates, arms back as they floated rocks above their heads, occasionally added to by Shiisti when she felt like throwing a pebble their way.

"Are you amusing yourselves?" Kyllinan said, as they stepped off the speeder, Vette behind them taking it all in with a bemused look.

"No," Nairoim said, letting a rock fragment fall towards Jaesa; she flicked it aside with a snap of her wrist, lightsaber sending it bouncing across the floor.

"Uh huh. And yet you're not _getting up,"_ Vette said, rolling her eyes.

"Why, are we actually leaving?" Nairoim said idly.

"Uh, yeah."

"Oh _alright_." Nairoim heaved themself upright; as they moved, concentration broken, a small shower of rocks fell around them.

"Hey!" Jaesa flung up a hand in time to deflect several from hitting her.

Nairoim shot her a wicked grin. "Oops."

Kyllinan glanced between them, mouth tugging up in amusement. "How is it I leave you alone in an empty warehouse for an hour and _you_ seem to have a better time?"

"Easy to have fun with a laser sword," Shiisti said over her shoulder as she headed for the exit.

"That's true," Kyllinan said. They gave a sidelong glance at Nairoim and Jaesa. "Ready to put those lightsabers to good use?"

"Oh yes," Jaesa said.

Nairoim wrinkled their nose. " _Please._ Is that actually a question?"

"No," Kyllinan grinned, "not really."


End file.
